Author Archives: Paul Fletcher

When was the last time you saw a case in which it mattered where a truck was parked overnight? In a new decision from Alexandria fed­eral court, the place where a truck was garaged on the day of an accident ...

They’re heeeere. Creepy clown citings have been common down in the Carolinas over the past six weeks. Starting around Greenville, South Carolina, in late August, police got re­ports of clowns lurking in the woods. Yes, clowns. As in Bozo. Clarabell. ...

Beloit College in Wisconsin has made a name for itself with its “Mindset List.” That is an annual compendium re­marking on the way incoming freshman think and view themselves and their world. It’s a catalog of the cultural touch­points familiar ...

August 8, 2016Comments Off on Draft LEO: Early action on impaired lawyer proposed

Leaders at a law firm must insist that all law­yers follow the Rules of Professional Conduct. And lawyers may have a duty to report an impaired lawyer if that lawyer has engaged in misconduct that impacts his fitness to practice ...

July 28, 2016Comments Off on Employer’s finding of resignation letter is not notice to quit

Even though an employer found a signed resignation letter in an envelope addressed to him on top of an employee’s desk, the employee had not given notice to quit her job, a Fairfax Circuit judge has ruled. In this case, ...

Americans had a little something extra to celebrate this 4th of July. Right before the holiday weekend, President Obama signed the FOIA Im­provement Act of 2016. The timing was just about perfect: The original Freedom of Information Act was signed ...

As someone who grew up in South Florida, I can attest first-hand to the essential strangeness of the Sunshine State and some of the people there. Pick up any newspaper in the nation, and if there’s a wrap-up of headlines ...

Before he was a U.S. Senator, before he was governor or lieutenant gover­nor, and while he was mayor of Rich­mond, Tim Kaine was a lawyer. He has seen and done a lot since en­tering the Senate; he has built a ...

Justice Stephen R. McCullough was invested as the 106th member of the Supreme Court of Virginia on May 23, at a ceremony featuring his family, his colleagues from the Court of Appeals and past co-workers at the Virginia Attorney General’s ...

May 20, 2016Comments Off on Judge needn’t recuse when courtroom regular appears in case

A judge need not automatically recuse himself when a lawyer who regularly appears before the court is a witness or a defendant in a case, according to the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee. The judge must “introspectively determine” her own impartiality ...